Breast Cancer Awareness Contest

Maybe so, but pink makes my complexion look off. Can't do it. You should drop whatever reservations you have and participation in the BWO contest outlined below though. It's pretty easy and it's designed to raise some awareness for breast cancer. If that's not enough motivation, they have prizes. Check it out.

"Smitty here to bring you another contest to test your screenshot taking skills, while supporting a good cause. This weeks contest is a screenie contest showing breast cancer awareness. Rules are simple."

Fiesta Double EXP Weekend is LIVE!

Unranked eight player Fiesta gametypes. What weapon will you spawn with? It changes every time.

8 Player FFA
Max Party Size: 8Halo 3: Mythic disk required

Gametypes

Fiesta Slayer (46%) - Slayer, first player to 25 kills wins. Players spawn with random primary and secondary weapons, and have infinite ammo. No weapons on the map. 12 minute match time limit.

Fiesta Oddball (19%) - Oddball, first player to 100 points wins. Player spawn with random primary and secondary weapons, and have infinite ammo. No weapons on the map. 12 minute match time limit.

Fiesta Crazy King (14.6%) - King of the Hill, 100 points to win. Hill moves to a new random location every 30 seconds. Players spawn with random primary and secondary weapons, and have infinite ammo. No weapons on the map. 12 minute match time limit.

Fiestanaut (20.4%) - Players score points by killing other players as the Juggernaut. To become the Juggernaut, a player must kill the existing Juggernaut. 10 points to win. Players spawn with random primary and secondary weapons, and have infinite ammo. No weapons on the map. 12 minute match time limit.

Maps

Construct (Default)

Epitaph (Default)

Guardian (Default)

Isolation (Default)

Snowbound (FFA) - Snowbound tuned for Free For All play

The Pit (Default)

Foundry (Default) - REQUIRED. Part of the Heroic Map Pack.

Blackout (Default) - REQUIRED. Part of the Legendary Map Pack.

Ghost Town (Default) - REQUIRED. Part of the Legendary Map Pack.

Cold Storage (Default) - REQUIRED. Available on Xbox Live Marketplace.

The World's Greatest Halo 3 Player

In his own mind, of course.

Tons of profanity and amazing MLG play in episode three of what looks like is fast becoming a series. Wow, that's a pretty clunky sentence. Just sat down with my coffee. You should sit down and give this a watch if you're not easily offended.

"Here is Radic back again with his hilarious improvised gameplay commentary. Some profanity but it's all in good fun."

Dropping Into VGXPO

No need for a weapon.

Sean has it covered. He's also covered himself in some really amazing ODST armor. He took top honors for his efforts. You should take a second to discover his handiwork. It's impressive. Most impressive.

Also, before you click the link I'd like to note that it was Louis Wu over at HBO that once again scared up this cosplay. He needs help, people. Please don't judge him.

IGN's Halo 3 Top 10: Killtacular

Lots of skill and a little bit of luck.

While surfing the net looking for ladies in costume, HBO came across this sweet montage. Not only does it feature some sweet plays, it also signals the beginning of a new content series they're planning on producing. Best of all, they want you to submit your own clips. You got your own clips, dontcha? Read and click.

"Every week, millions of Spartans are killed in Halo 3 multiplayer. Some deaths are tragic, others comic. Thousands are uploaded and shared via bungie.net. We've sorted through this weeks crop of epic kills to deliver a worthy Top 10 list.

We'll be offering a collection of righteous kills regularly, ranked from great to greatest. And best of all, you can get in on the action. Upload your best kills -- one's truly worthy of being immortalized in our Top 10 list -- to bungie.net and then email a link to your vid to halovids@ign.com. For details on how to do this and tips on ways to get your vid selected, check out the details below our sweet video.

Oh, and the person who submits the #1 video will win a $60 gift card to Gamestop*. That's good enough to get you a game of your choosing."

Louis Wu Knows What the Ladies Like

And he likes to link to it too.

We're not going to make assumptions. Nope. Louis Wu is a fine upstanding pillar of the Bungie community. Great handshake too. Really solid, all around. So, who cares if he's really into cosplay? I mean, we all have out things, right?

This Is The Way The World Ends

Clouds over Moscow.

Before you hit the link we should say that we have nothing to do with this. Our top secret weather making machine is still in its pre-alpha phase. That said, it's still pretty cool. We just wanted to make sure you knew that it, you know, wasn't hearkening the end of all sentient life in the galaxy or anything like that. At least we hope not.

Hey, Everybody...

It's ODS Steve's Birthday!

Normally we'd let him celebrate his special day in private, but since the festivities have been graced with some special gifts from Stuntmutt and a few other comic book producers, we figured we should extend the invite. Hit the jump to check it out. If you've enjoyed the comic so far, let DeepCee know in the comments.

Community Spotlight - The Upper Echelon

These guys and gals are golden.

Got gold bars propping up your Halo 3 matchmaking rank? Not a worry in the world. If you're looking for a group that celebrates your status, you've come to the right place. Get up to speed on the Bungie.net group, The Upper Echelon. Here's what they had to say for themselves:

BrenGT2: The Upper Echelon is a sanctuary of sorts. It's a place where all those who have reached the grade four status of their current matchmaking ranks can escape the craziness of the public forums and meet amazing community members from all over the world, knowing that we all share one thing in common.

Through the founding of TUE, some of the most amazing Bungie.net members have graced the group with their presence. The best part is when a group of us gets together in matchmaking and beats the other team. We prove that those with gold bars are a force to be reckoned with, and to quote one of the members of the group, "we are proud of the adornments that reside under our ranks!"

As of late, the group has become a real hub for our members to meet on a daily basis. Our forums are always humming with activity, and the topics are really interesting. We also have a group on HaloCharts by the same name which has also seen a great deal of success.

The Upper Echelon has become so much more than just a group; it's a sprawling community. We are the place where the casual and the serious gamer can meet and enjoy the game that brought us all together.
MR DROZ: There's a common misconception that if you have gold bars than you must be a bad player. This is absolutely not true. The ranking system works just fine and people belong at certain levels. For instance I am a Staff Captain. I have no business playing against a General. None what so ever. I am a casual gamer and I play for fun. Many of us do.

I've always felt that it's a blessing to have gold bars. I feel that grade 4 ranks are amongst the best in the game at that skill level. We have a member that we call the Goat Snatcher (pm me later for explanation, don't worry it's clean). He's a Brig-Gen and I swear on everything holy that he sends Grade 2 Generals screaming for mommy. A lot of our members are like this. We truly enjoy going into BTB with a full party, getting trash talked, and then stomping the other team.

One of my favorite things to do at TUE is interview high profile members of the community. I've interviewed a few of the Forum Moderators and I'm currently working on an interview with Firestream from Halo Charts. The interview with Foman was by far the most fun so far (sorry Duardo). You wouldn't believe how many people simply wanted to ask "Y U BAN ME?" A few people actually said "why did you unban me"? That poor guy. He's damned if he does, damned if he doesn't!

Q. What are your favorite maps?

BrenGT2: My favorite maps are generally the big team maps, like Valhalla, Standoff and Sand Trap, but many of the smaller maps like Construct, Cold Storage and Ghost Town are really great.

I feel that Cold Storage is under-utilized in matchmaking, which is really unfortunate. Not only is the map beautiful to look at (which Forerunner map isn't?) but is also plays beautifully. The teleporters add a level of uncertainty that makes gameplay even more frenzied and fun.
MR DROZ: Anything that allows me the ability to run over my teammates with a mongoose. *Waves at Skittles and Kelly*

Q. What are your favorite gametypes?
BrenGT2: My favorite gametypes are on the opposite ends of the spectrum, it seems. On the one hand, I love Big Team Battle, as it's a great way for a big group of us to get into matchmaking together. It's also that much more full of action, especially when we are matched up with a really good team. On the other hand, I love Rumble Pit. On those days when I just feel like a good skirmish with no other team mates to worry about, this is perfect for that.

Of course, for those other days, there is always Action Sack. I find myself going into this playlist a lot more these days. I like variety, and Action Sack delivers that in strides.
MR DROZ: The gametype really depends on the map that goes with it. Team BR's is great but only on the more open maps like The Pit. Duals is great but only on close-quarters maps like Snowbound. Everybody rushes the basement. There's really no need for BR's in such a closed space. At least not in my opinion. Shishka knows best. He's got all that data in front of him to work from. As Johnson would say... "He knows what the ladies like."

Q. What would you like to see in Matchmaking that isn't?
BrenGT2: This is the hardest question to answer by far. At the moment, I really like the way that matchmaking has been set up, but it would be cool to see more Team Flag than there has been. We at The Upper Echelon love our Team Flag.

MR DROZ: Indeed. Team Flag is by far the most fun I've had in a long time. Every time this comes up our forum explodes with excitement. Most of us are teamwork orientated players and we really do well with CTF games.
Thanks to The Upper Echelon for answering our not so difficult questions and for gracing our game with a little bit of precious mettle. If you want to test your own, apply for membership (you gotta have gold bars) and check out their group home right here at Bungie.net. If you just want to check out their content, they've uploaded some new gems into Bungie Favorites.

Play Halo With Us!

You're either with us or you're against us.

Either way works just fine. Against us in Halo 3 or with us for some Firefight, all you need to do to secure a spot this weekend is make a donation to a great charity. It's quick and painless. Here's the details. See you this weekend.

That’s right, for a mere $15 donation, you and a friend can play Halo with Bungie next weekend! You have a choice to play either a 2v2 against Bungie in Halo 3 custom games, or play WITH Bungie in Halo 3: ODST in Firefight mode. You will have approximately 20 – 30 minutes of playtime, which means spots are extremely limited! To sign up, just head on over to the registration page and click the “Play With Bungie” donate button. So, find a buddy and register today!

If you’re participating in other FLAG tournament events, no worries! We will schedule your time with Bungie so it does not conflict with your tournament matches. If you want to play on multiple teams in the Play With Bungie event, that is fine, but we are going to limit you to 3 teams so others have a chance to play as well. Thank you so much to Bungie for donating their time again this year :)"

Co-Optimus Halo 3: ODST Contest

Get your hands on ODST and Sgt. Johnson.

For free!

"It's been a few weeks now since Halo 3: ODST's release. Perhaps you see your friends still enjoying the game's Firefight mode and whimper in jealousy. You get the constant invites of a group needing a fourth soldier for a Legendary run through the campaign and curse your empty wallet. Sadly you've yet to pick the game up, we know, we all have our reasons for avoiding it - but now there's no excuse.

We're giving away one copy of Halo 3:ODST including the exclusive Sgt Johnson Firefight character to one lucky winner!

To enter simply reply to this thread [linked below] and tell us your favorite Halo weapon and which game it was from and we'll draw a winner this Friday, October 16th at 12:00PM EDT. The contest is open to anyone so good luck!"

Honor Guard 'Halolympics' Ep: 4H

Constipated snake, eh? Sounds, um...disgusting. If you wanna ride the snake and test your skill, read the write up, watch the video, and then start training on the latest Halolympics course.

"Celtichorn/Caranyx is happy to present the fourth installment of the Honor Guard 'Halolympics.' This course will test your endurance and test your patience!

At every twist and turn and inside a constipated snake you will find yourself racing across a course designed to slow you down and knock you off. Stay persistent and analyze the situation to maximize your eventual triumphant completion of this concoction of my otherwise coffee riddled head.

Forge Hub - Infection Mapmaking

Well, get to a doctor! They should be able to clear that right up for you. Miracles of modern medicine and all that. Once you're all better, check out Sarge's Infection musings over at Forge Hub. Lots of words and plenty of bulges. If you're into Infection, you should dig into this write up.

Drop Into Hell...Like A Ninja!

We'll not exactly right now. But soon. All you gotta do is sign up and watch the space below. Cheap ploy to get you to sign up for the website? Perhaps. But they are offering a free copy of Halo 3: ODST.

"You know about Bungie's newest game ODST, and how awesome it is? Well if you are one of the unlucky few who don't because you don't own it for any reason, Project: HAYABUSA's got you covered.

The Halo community Project: HAYABUSA is throwing a free for all tournament for a chance to win ODST. The prizes are amazing, just see for yourself.

1st Place - A copy of Halo 3: ODST, a Sgt. Johnson code, and automatic qualification to the semi-final round of the next tournament!
2nd Place - 2nd gets 1600 point card, and a spot in the semi-final round of the next tournament.
3rd Place - A custom avatar and user title for our new site.

So head over to one of our websites to read up on the contest and get all the information you need."

Know Your Ninja - Achilles

Not a heel. Get it?

Achilles arrives just in time to make it back to back Bungie.net Ninjas for this Tuesday morning interview thing we do. He's old, he's into hanging out and having good times, and if you're a dummy, he's probably given you a timeout or two here at Bungie.net so you could spend some time alone thinking about what you did. If you're here for revenge, might want to think twice. If you're just here to check out the choice interview with a fine, upstanding Bungie.net moderator, you should get scrolling.

Q. Without revealing too many of your super secret personal details, tell us who you are and what you do.

A. My names is Wayne and I am somewhere in my 30’s. Not sure where because I have problems counting that high. I work all day fixing computers or as I call them “peoples magic pr0n boxes.” When I am not at work you can find me playing Halo 3 or ODST online with my core group of friends and spending time with the wife. I love to listen to quite a range of music, but I love listening to punk music the most especially the Ramones and Pennywise.

I also make some Halo vids in my spare time. They are not any of that MLG uber 1337 skillz crap. Just vids I make for me and my friends. You can find my channel here. My greatest influence in starting to do these would be the great Impurity. His vids showed me that they can be fun and not have to be all pro.

Q. What did you do with yourself on Bungie.net before you went all pro and picked up the Banhammer?

A. Mostly I lurked around to see what the hell was going on. I really never did anything on the internet until I moved to Cali for a bit. Once I got to B.net I frequented the old Zanzibar forum. Talk about the Wild West. Kids these days have no idea how much tamer the forums are compared to then. That sounded really old didn’t it? Next thing you know I will be yelling like Recon for kids to get off my lawn while I am in my car in another state.

The first person I met though was a brash young buck who liked to sign his posts like a complete asshat. I believe you did one of these interviews with him already. Yep, my first B.net accountabilibuddy was BersworkerGarage. After getting my first friend I started to branch out into the Jumpers and some other older groups like MOAP and TFM. Now I have a huge list of pretty cool people that I can call on to hang out with and have some good times.

Q. When you're tired of being accountable, where do you go to get some time away?

A. I have a few sites that I check up on rather regularly even though I don’t post there. Let me get you a quick list. HBO, HawtyMcbloggy, Halocharts, Youtube, Twitter, and Zero Punctuation.

Q. Pretty solid list. What keeps you coming back to Bungie.net?

A. Mostly I come back because this is the place where it all started for me. Also because I am a complete -blam!- and I don’t get along well with groups that make you have to have an application and referral to join. With that being said it is better if I just stay close to home.

Q. How has this place changed since it all started for you?

A. That is actually a question that I could go on and on about for hours. I would think it would be best suited to an After School Special.

Q. Hmm. Pass. How good do you feel after you've swung the Banhammer and nuked some poor soul for no reason?

A. I won’t lie. It is cool to make stupid people disappear. The brochure though said I would get mad money and ho’s. I have yet to see either from my time as a moderator.

[Eds. note: Mad money and ho's not included - urk]

I would like to give a big list of shout outs as well to all my peeps. If I forget to mention you well I am sorry and you can just kiss my ass. You know I still love you.

Also I would like to post a vid if I may. One of my favorite bands doing an awesome cover of a Ramones song.
You may. You also forgot to mention me. Jerk. If you wanna tell Achilles how much of a jerk he is, hit the discussion thread attached. Same if you just want to say what's up. You know what, just go with the latter. Wayne's looking to make some people disappear.

Halo MLG Top 10 Plays

No, not that Top Ten.

ESPN isn't in on this one. These are all community compiled clips without any commentary. Just a crazy soundtrack, some light editing, and gameplay that speaks for itself. Check it out. If you have your own clips you think could make the cut, there's instructions on how you can submit them after the jump. They're looking for Firefight plays as well as matchmaking.

The Lucky 20: Episode 5

Looks like The Lucky 20 is finishing up just as quickly as it got started. Shame, eh? The final take comes with a tale. Read it and then watch the end result.

"HERE IT IS! As promised, the final episode of The Lucky 20. It was worth the three week wait for this one. We returned to the original format of The Failed Five, The Lucky 20, and Jakob on commentary.

Now it should be noted that Jakob did commentary on this one without a script, and we feel it was one of the best decisions ever. Here's a breakdown of that conversation:

Jakob: How long until I can start recording?

Person "A": We just need to draft the script and you'll be set.

Jakob: THAT will NOT do! The Seventh Column has waited long enough. Stand back! I'm going in...scriptless.

Of course, everything went ok. We had fire and rescue teams on hand just in case.

Onward now, we wanted to ask that you please pay special attention to the credit roll at the end. We feel the true stars of the show were never properly recognized. Thank you all. See you on the battlefield."

The Running Riot Podcast LIVE Tonight!

Just a reminder to tune into the LIVE recording of Episode 22 tonight at 9:30pm ET. Viewers can witness the recording and chat with the hosts and guests during the show. Tonight's guest will be c u l8er from HaloTracks. Also, if you join us in the chat room around 9:00pm ET, you may win a "Backstage Pass"!

Facility B5D: Community Myths

If you've been missing your regular dose of Halo 3 Mythbusters, Facility B5D has you covered. Check out the brief description and then tune into the video below. They also included a handy dandy link you can use to submit your own clip suggestions and participate in their community.

"A collection of myths presented in the style of Halo 3 Mythbusters, but submitted and filmed by members of prominent Halo communities"

'Six Below' - Fail Montage

This montage features plays that reportedly fall into the Not Good Enough category. I dunno, they may not have earned many elite medals, but the play looks pretty solid to me. Nice quality and nice editing as well. Check it out.

PraetoriaGuard's HALOween

Tricks, treats, and a tasty charity tournament.

Celebrate Halloween and contribute to a great cause by participation in PraetoriaGuard's HALOween tourney. They've got treats for the winners. They've also a handy dandy description and a link to sign up. Hold out your pillow and we'll drop those in early. Here you go:

"The 2nd annual HALOween Zombies Charity Tournament is hosted by the PraetoriaGuard and Gaming4Others. This year there will be two gametypes: Zombies and Halloween (aka "Michael Myers" a hide and seek type game) and winners will receive amazing prizes. Included in the prizes is a Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach poster signed by Bungie staff. They are beautiful works of art! Of course the prizes come in the traditional candy-filled trick or treat bag.

At the PraetoriaGuard we love HALOween! We wanted a tournament that would not only do good for others but that was affordable for all gamers. We only ask a minimum donation of $5 to enter and the gametypes are for all skill levels. We change the charity each year to raise awareness for different causes. So the gamer can give something, learn something and win something!